Bang! Bang! Bang!
Again and again, Ye Chen and Ban Jieya slammed into the ground. Ye Chen was tucked safely inside and came away unscathed, but Ban Jieya suffered every impact. Each crash left her seeing stars, her body nearly shaken apart.
Before long, she had no choice but to release the tail wrapped around Ye Chen. The moment she did, Ye Chen gave a cold laugh and lunged for her throat. His five fingers struck like steel hooks, swift as lightning, and snapped Ban Jieya's neck without mercy.
"Chopper!"
An assassin flew in and drove his sword into Chopper's back. Sanji cried out and was about to rush over, but Sawtooth Beast Will blocked his path.
"Hawk Wave!"
The assassin who had stabbed Chopper had not even worn his smug look for a full second before Zoro struck him from afar with a slash.
"Ah..."
A gash deep enough to expose bone appeared across the assassin Gade's back. Zoro had been dozens of meters away, but his slash still carried astonishing force across that distance.
"He's saved."
Usopp wiped away his tears, his voice choked with relief. He had always been timid, but he worried about his friends when they were in danger. His courage might have been lacking, but his heart was not. When the moment came to stand up for them, he would never cower.
"You? A little brat who hasn't even grown up yet!"
Gade turned around, leaving Chopper alone for the moment, and glared at Zoro through narrow eyes. That slash had hurt badly and left him with a serious wound. But as one of the Golden Cicada Assassins, he would not be frightened off, even by death.
Ever since the Celestial Dragons founded the Dragon Mansion, every one of its assassins had been